HD Kumaraswamy apologised to the victims of the sex crime involving his nephew (File)
In a major development in the Karnataka sex scandal, JDS state chief HD Kumaraswamy pleaded with his nephew and party MP Prajwal Revanna - the key accused in the case - to return from abroad and appear before investigators if he has even the slightest respect for his grandfather - former PM HD Deve Gowda.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Kumaraswamy said: "I request Prajwal Revanna, through the media, to come back from whichever country he is in. There should be no fear. The law of this land is in effect. How long can this hide-and-seek game be played?"
He reiterated that if Prajwal Revanna has any respect for him and his grandfather, he should come back to India and surrender to the police.
"I join my hands in an appeal to you. You must surrender within 24 to 48 hours. Lakhs of party workers have voted for us. How long do you want to stay abroad? Please come back to India and appear before the authorities. Let there be a conclusion. There is no need to hide.
"I wanted to convey this through my father. He (HD Deve Gowda) extended all his support for Prajwal Revanna to grow in politics. If Prajwal Revanna wants to bring any respect to his grandfather and party workers, he should come back to India," Mr Kumaraswamy said.
The former Chief Minister also said: "I publicly apologise to the victims of this scandal. I can understand their pain. Who pushed them into this situation? Many similar cases have occurred, although their magnitude might be less. This is an abominable case and makes all of us bow our heads in shame."
Noting that the Congress government is demanding that he bring Prajwal Revanna back to India, Mr Kumaraswamy said: "I have said many times that he has not been in touch with me for a long time. One person is responsible for this tragedy. Another person took the scandal to the world and ruined the families of the victims."
Hitting back at the ruling party, he said: "Let the Congress make hundreds of attempts to target my family. My party workers have given me the strength to fight."
"The question is, how did it start? The episode began the day before polling. If we had known about the scandal, we would not have let it happen... If I had known about the scandal earlier, I would not have let Prajwal Revanna leave the country," he said.
"In these cases, they act based on the advocates' opinions. We did not ask him to go. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) could have given him seven days to appear when he sought time," he said.
"I requested my father to make a public announcement that Prajwal Revanna should come back if he had any respect and cooperate with the SIT. People should not misunderstand our family," Mr Kumaraswamy added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)